The D-League All-Star break is upon us. For most of the Erie BayHawks, it's a time to rest up, catch their breath, and prepare for the home stretch of the 2009-10 season. For Alade Aminu, it's a little different.
Aminu, the rookie power forward out of Georgia Tech, is the BayHawks' lone representative in Saturday's D-League All-Star Game, playing for the East Conference. He'll be one of 20 D-League stars competing in the game that will tipoff at 3 p.m. Eastern from Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session in Dallas, Texas.
Aminu's all-star candidacy took off in January at the D-League Showcase, where he wowed scouts with a 30-point, 23-rebound effort in the BayHawks' first Showcase game, a 92-88 win over Reno. After averaging just 9.8 points and 4.2 in November and December, Aminu starred in the month of January, averaging 16.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in 15 games.
While his numbers have dipped in February, there's no question that the BayHawks are most dangerous when Aminu is involved heavily in the offensive gameplan. He can also be disruptive for the opposition on the defensive end when he chooses to apply himself. His length makes him a capable shot blocker, but he's had just six games with 2 or more blocks so far this season. Still, his 25 blocks are second on the team behind John Bryant.
Aminu's all-star competition on the West Conference team includes Brian Butch, Dwayne Jones, Carlos Powell, and Diamon Simpson. It'll be interested to see Aminu matched up against the West's bigs because they're opponents he doesn't get to see much during the season. (Self-promotion alert: I tackled the topic of the D-League's unbalanced schedule at D-League Digest yesterday.) Like the Showcase, it's a great opportunity for Aminu to display his talents for an audience that will surely include plenty of NBA scouts.
Though the calls for his call-up to the NBA have quieted a bit due to some inconsistent showings in recent games, a big game against the other elite player in the D-League could vault Aminu back onto the short list of players on the radar of NBA teams for a spring call-up. Tune into NBA TV at 3 p.m. to watch Aminu in action or check back here Sunday or Monday for a recap of his all-star performance.
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